Unanswered Questions and Dead Ends
by EZdoesit
Summary: Post-season finale. Lindy doesn't know where to turn. What is she "safe" from? Where is her sister? She feels broken and numb. At the height of her desperation, she finds herself somewhere she wasn't planning. Can he help her find the answers to her questions? And more importantly, does she want him to?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So I'm still reeling from last night and my Tindy heart has not been soothed enough. So here's something that came to mind after the episode. I've literally only thought of this chapter but I'm going to add on once I keep writing! This is definitely more angsty than my other one, Borrowed Time (but check that out too). Hope y'all like it!**

Lindy wandered around Brooklyn aimlessly as the rain poured with no regard to her current plight. After watching the video of her sister, she had taken the bus two stops further, then turned around and went back. She had watched it multiple times since then, feeling more dejected and confused with each view. She knew what she should do - what she would've immediately done without question one month ago, probably even a couple days ago. But now, she had never felt more broken, not even when Ben was killed.

She didn't want to go home. Couldn't bear the thought of Sophia in the hospital right now. So she just wandered. In the rain. Any other day, she would've laughed at her pathetic resemblance to a 90s music video.

She shouldn't have been walking around Brooklyn this late alone. But the Flirtual killer was gone now and she wasn't afraid of the night anymore. Just numb and confused. Everyday criminals seemed like child's play to her at this point.

Somehow, without realizing it, she found herself outside a door.

* * *

Tommy hadn't slept this soundly in weeks. Of course he would never stop worrying about Lindy. But that contact was something he had to be okay with for now. For now, he had done his job of keeping her safe. She was the one who had reached out to him. He had said - _mostly_ \- what needed to be said. Cyber Crimes acknowledged his hard work and exhaustion and had given him a week off to recuperate. Little did they know (well except Yeager), he had more to recover from than just work.

He was woken abruptly by someone rapping at his door, and he had become quite accustomed to jumping to his feet and grabbing the gun from his nightstand before the sleep was even out of his eyes.

He cautiously opened the door with Boris curiously trailing behind. 'Surprised' wouldn't even begin to describe how he felt when he saw Lindy standing there, soaking wet and clutching a tablet with a blank stare.

"Lindy, what-" Tommy began, but stopped when Lindy just looked up at him and blinked slowly.

He ushered her inside and to the couch, then went to the hall closet, emerging a minute later with a few towels, placing one over Lindy's shoulders.

She lightly tossed the tablet onto Tommy's coffee table, nodding in its direction as Tommy's cue to watch it.

A few expressions flashed across his face - shock, horror, confusion. There was slight anger that rose up in him, but he suppressed it - it wasn't his place to be mad at Sara.

"Safe from what?" He demanded slowly, tearing his eyes from the tablet and onto Lindy, searching for an answer.

She remained silent, looking down.

"Lindy, we have to take this to the precinct - we need to analyze it." He was slipping back into cop mode almost immediately, already reaching for his coat until he felt Lindy's hand firmly on his forearm.

"Tommy, stop." It was the first time she'd spoken since she'd been there, and actually in a few hours.

For some reason, it actually compelled him to sit down. This was all on Lindy's terms now. She had come to him and now he couldn't push it.

Tommy took a deep breath. "So what now?"

"I don't know," she managed, weakly.

"You need sleep," Tommy insisted, but Lindy still stared intently at the now-blank tablet on the table.

He scoured the cabinets and eventually found what he was looking for - chamomile tea. It was there from when Dr. Wells used to stay over, she claimed it helped her relax after particularly long days. Tommy had never used it, but had considered it far more often once Lindy had come around. He brewed a cup and left it for Lindy, earning him a very slight, tired smile in response.

He knew that trying to give up his bed to her was a moot point - she was too stubborn to ever accept. He went back to his room, though he knew sleep had escaped him now. Instead, once some time had passed, he slipped back into the living room where, sure enough, Lindy had drifted off on the couch. In one swift motion he picked her up, bridal-style, and carried her back into his room, placing her gently on the bed. As he grabbed a spare pillow and blanket for himself to sleep on the couch, he heard Lindy stirring. He turned back to her as she motioned for him to come back over. Once he was closer, she moved the other half of the comforter, signaling for him to stay.

"Please," she pleaded barely above a whisper.

Tommy hesitated, but eventually crawled in. They laid face-to-face in a few seconds of loaded silence until Lindy abruptly turned over, facing her back to him. Tommy mimicked her motion, painfully aware of their proximity despite the space between their backs.

* * *

_Hope you liked it so far! Please review! Also I'm always down the talk about the finale with anybody because it kinda hurt my soul._


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad you guys are liking the story so far! Thanks SO much for your kind reviews Seddielover945 (I _love_ Lucid, such a great fic), rebeckyyy, Chloekingfanatic1894, and WriteOrDie1108. I've come up with a direction for this so I'm pretty excited to start writing a lot more for it, hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Lindy woke up in a fog, feeling hungover, but not like when she had spent the night with Jake (she shuddered at the thought) – but like a hangover from what had happened the day before. Was she really at another road block? Had her sister really just been lying to her the whole time? Safe from _what_? Did she know what lengths Lindy had gone to, that she had uprooted her life entirely – even becoming the target of a serial killer?

She was dragged out of her thoughts by the realization that Tommy's arm was resting comfortably around her and his hand had found a spot on her stomach. She sighed. _What are you doing here, Lindy?_ She thought with exasperation. She would have to talk – actually talk – to him today. It's not that she didn't want to talk to _him_, she didn't want to talk to anyone. She heard Tommy moving and checked her phone – it was noon. Lindy rolled onto her back and glanced over at him.

"Morning," he mumbled groggily, not daring to smile. The state of their relationship was murkier now than ever, and he still had no idea what Lindy's terms or reasons for coming were.

"Hey," she greeted softly.

She became suddenly even more aware of Tommy's hand on her. He finally moved it away sheepishly, but neither of them dared to comment on it. Despite its absence, Lindy still felt her skin burning where it had been.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"Um…this _is_ where I live," he chuckled.

"Work?" She added.

"Gave me the week off," he answered casually.

But Lindy felt anything but casual – she knew what it meant. Cyber Crimes didn't give weeks off. This was the NYPD. It was only because of this case.

"Because of me," she whispered, her voice dripping with guilt as she averted her eyes to the ceiling.

"No," Tommy protested, touching her face so she'd look at him, but then quickly pulling it away. "No, Lindy. Because of me."

"How can you say that?" Lindy cried. "It's because of my case that you're –"

"Lindy, you didn't force me to do anything. Cyber Crimes didn't force me to do anything. Hell, even the _spirit of Ben_ didn't force me to do anything. Anything I did – it was all me, all my fault," he explained firmly.

With that, and without waiting for Lindy's reaction, he rolled over and got out of bed. Lindy tried to avert her eyes as he changed his shirt, but hey, she was still human. Then he left for the kitchen and Lindy was alone with her thoughts once again. She quickly found that she didn't like it much, and scurried out into the kitchen herself.

"Sure you don't want more rest?" Tommy asked as if their previous conversation hadn't just happened. His back was to her, but he could still feel her presence in the room.

"Couldn't even if I wanted to," she shrugged.

Tommy poured another cup of coffee and turned to face her, sliding it across the table.

"What's on the agenda today?" He asked, taking a sip.

It wasn't that he minded Lindy being there, he just knew deep down that she was cooking up some plan. She hadn't come here just to play house and suppress everything forever. And, despite how much easier Tommy would sleep at night if that were the case, it also wasn't the Lindy he knew and loved.

She sighed. "I don't know. I guess just getting my stuff in order."

"We could stop by the CCU with that tablet-" He offered before being swiftly cut off.

"No…_no_ Cyber Crimes. Not anymore, I'm sorry."

He put his hands out in surrender. "Alright, consider it dropped."

After sipping their coffee in semi-comfortable silence, Lindy finally came to a realization that made her guilt rise once again.

"Oh my god," she blurted, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. This is your day off and I just barge in."

"Lindy," he laughed with a slight bitterness. "Trust me, I didn't have big plans. It's only been a day, the wound is still fresh."

_Wound? _Lindy wondered, but it didn't take her long to figure out.

"Oh," was all she managed.

The wound from her leaving essentially without a trace – by refusing to let Tommy help her. She might as well have gone off the grid, as far as Tommy was concerned. He was in no place to contact her. Did this mean she'd accepted his apology? Would they talk about it? It was safe to say Tommy had just as many questions as Lindy.

"I'm gonna go for a run with Boris – need to clear my head. It's kinda my routine," he said carefully.

"That's fine. _Please_, don't let me interfere with your day."

_Too late_, Tommy thought to himself.

"You'll be here when I get back?" He asked intently.

She nodded sincerely. She wasn't ready to go anywhere else. Tommy's eyes lingered on her for a moment, like he wasn't completely sure, but he eventually left with Boris following.

Lindy felt strangely comfortable in Tommy's apartment by herself. However, after a few minutes, she regretted not offering to go with him – she could've used the fresh air to clear her head, too. Sighing, she made herself at home at Tommy's table, pulling out her laptop. In a way, it felt foreign to her. She hadn't hacked anything since she put the spyware on Tessa's phone, and that was practically second nature to her at this point. She did some casual research, but nothing to the caliber of what she used to. She missed George, but she wasn't ready to go to him yet.

One of the reasons she ended up at Tommy's finally dawned on her – she felt alone. Sophia was in the hospital. George had done enough for her, she needed to give him a break. Connor was..._Connor_, and while they were on better terms now, she doubted they'd have much to talk about, plus she was sure she wasn't the first person he wanted to hang out with since she was basically the reason Sophia's in the hospital in the first place. She wondered just when she and Tommy had become friends – or _whatever_ the hell they were – just to have the ties severed by his betrayal. And now they were in some weird limbo. But for some reason, his apartment was the safe place that her feet took her to. She thought about Ben. She and Tommy had both felt that pain deep. She often forgot that Tommy had been affected, too. Once she had seen the video of Ben that horrible day in the basement of the CCU, she realized she really never knew Ben as well as she thought. It didn't make her love him less, just gave her a lot to think about.

Tommy was gone for a while, nearly an hour. By the time he came back, Lindy still hadn't made any more progress regarding Sara.

"You always run that long?" She raised an eyebrow at him. _It sure would explain his physique_. But she tried not to stare.

"A lot to think about," he shrugged, and Lindy understood. "I'm gonna go take a shower…"

He felt awkward not having to tell her to be careful or call for him if anything happened – it had only been about a day since that need ended. Of course he wanted her to be careful in whatever she did, but now the threat of a murderer/stalker breaking in had lessened exponentially.

* * *

Once Tommy was dressed and settled in, Lindy's curiosity got the best of her and she decided to speak up.

"Tommy, where's your family?" Lindy asked bluntly, feeling inspired by her realization that there were few people she honestly really _knew_.

Tommy looked taken aback, but kept his demeanor cool, laughing bitterly. "_What family_?"

"I mean like really…besides Boris." She gestured down towards the dog that she was now petting absentmindedly. "I know I'm always talking about Sara and, well, I know you've been working day and night on my case. So where's yours?"

"Well," He sighed. "If you couldn't tell from the name, I come from an Irish family. The police force runs deep. Except for my dear old dad – only thing that runs deep for him is his alcohol. And his tendency to get violent. Classic story – guy gets drunk and violent, takes it out on his wife. Not too long ago, mom left. Didn't affect me much, I was already training for the force. But I haven't heard from her since, except for the note she left me. And I've severed ties with my father."

Lindy was silent for a few seconds. "Oh my god, Tommy."

"Don't feel bad for me," he shook his head.

Suddenly it made sense to Lindy – maybe _too much_ sense. Tommy joined the force not just because of his family tradition, but to prove that he wasn't like his dad. Maybe even to put people like his dad away. She had an inkling that his mother's departure lent itself to his protective instinct. She mentally flashed back to the night he was waiting on her stoop because she hadn't answered his calls. He hated not knowing. It was no surprise that the guy was a worrier.

"What was she like?" Lindy asked softly.

"My mother? Amazing. She was the most caring, loving woman in the world. She worked hard and cared about her family more than anything. Fiercely independent, but she had one weak spot – my old man." He looked wistfully into the distance at nothing in particular.

"How did she get out?" Lindy realized just how invested into this story she was.

"Her sister had been pleading with her to leave for years. I was older and out of the house, I guess my aunt's words finally got to her. Dad got to be too much without me around," he shrugged. "I was proud of her, y'know? So proud. I just wish she had kept in touch."

Lindy reached across the table, gently placing her hand over his. "Tommy, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" He shook his head.

"When I just left without a trace yesterday. I didn't realize-" she stumbled over her words, not entirely positive what she was trying to say.

"Lindy, stop. You're doing what you had to do for your family. I guess that's what my mother did, too. I can't expect you to clue me in on where you are simply because of something personal that happened with my mom," he sighed. "Besides, it was so long ago. I've seen enough in this job to make me happy she escaped – wherever the hell she is."

That was the difference between Tommy and Jake (one of many). Jake was wrong – pain didn't fester. Not in good people. Not everyone became a monster.

Her voice was shaking. "Jake said something the other day, while he had me trapped."

Tommy winced at the thought and mention of his name, but Lindy continued.

"He said, pain festers and makes monsters of us all. But that's not true. Not everybody. Not you, Tommy," she said earnestly, then realized she had been holding his hand.

She pulled back hesitantly. Tommy wasn't really sure why she was saying it, whether she was telling him or more so just telling herself.

Tommy sighed deeply. "He's a sociopath. A serial killer. Please don't give him a second more of your thought. Don't let his words take up any more space in your brain."

She simply nodded with a grave expression on her face. She knew he was right. And his story served as even further evidence of why they were drawn to one another like magnets – they both felt the same pain. Lost mothers and destructive fathers.

* * *

_That's all for now! As always, please review, I love reading feedback. Also, a note on Tommy's parents - I didn't want to make the story sound too much like Lindy's (I know she mentioned that her father drinks), but I couldn't exactly remember what she said, so I just kinda went for it. I'll be back to write more sometime this week!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again! Thanks so much for your kind reviews, I love em! Thankfully, writing has been flowing pretty easily for this fic, easier than I thought it would, which is cool. Just a heads up that I'll be leaving for a trip on Tuesday, so it may be a week before I get to update after this. But stick with me, I promise!**

* * *

Tommy was in and out of the apartment for the rest of the day, giving Lindy some time to herself as she insisted she didn't want to get in the way of things. He couldn't say she wasn't a distraction, though. She toiled on her computer, but didn't really do anything substantial. It was around 6pm when Tommy had settled back in after his day of running errands, mainly trying to get his mind off of the brunette who had claimed the corner of his living room.

"Anything?" He asked, gesturing toward her laptop.

"What?" She had been distracted and didn't really hear him.

"Any progress?"

He crossed the room to stand beside her, but there was nothing more than a Facebook page and Google search tab open on her computer, with two lines of notes scribbled on a post-it.

"Oh, um, not really," Lindy felt herself growing slightly uncomfortable.

"Lindy, what's going on?" Tommy just wanted the truth, he just wanted to understand.

"Nothing, Tommy," she sighed.

"You're damn right it's nothing," he felt his frustration rising. "You're one of the most powerful hackers the CCU has ever had on our radar and you're _Googling_? Come on, Lindy, what's the deal? You send me some cryptic message about searching for Sara then show up at my apartment without so much as a game plan. This isn't like you. At all."

Anger was gradually welling up inside her, despite knowing he was right. "You don't know me at all!"

"You know what? I'm not playing this game anymore – deny it all you want, but we both know that _I DO_. I do know you. And not because of your case, not because I was tracking you to get Bubonic." Tommy's voice had progressively gotten louder.

"Well _excuse me_ for not knowing exactly how to find my sister who clearly, according to this _fucking_ video, doesn't even want me to find her," she said with a particular shrillness.

"When has that ever stopped you?" Tommy's eyes were burning through her.

A tense silence filled the space between them, only interrupted when Tommy took a seat on the couch across from Lindy.

"Why are you here, Lindy?" His voice had dropped back to its normal volume.

"If you recall, it was 2am. I didn't know where else to go. Sure as hell wasn't going back to my empty crime scene of an apartment by myself," she sighed.

"George's?" Tommy didn't want to get his hopes up that Lindy had purposely chosen him.

"Look, Tommy, I wasn't thinking. I felt alone, somehow my feet just brought me here, okay? I had very few choices." She was exasperated.

"So you were just naturally drawn to my place, huh?" Tommy's frustration had been replaced with a smugness that Lindy found infuriating.

"Oh my god, what is this, sixth grade? Yes, I somehow ended up here, big deal. And did you forget the part when I mentioned how desperate I was?" She rolled her eyes. "Can we drop this?"

"Fine, but you're letting me help you on this case," he insisted.

"This isn't a 'case.' This is me doing what I have to do, no police involved."

"Sorry, the cop lingo is a habit," he said. "Now will you let me help or not?"

"Fine, but it's on _my_ terms. And you're still not entirely back on my good graces yet, so don't think that this means anything, detective," she crossed her arms. "One false move and I go on without you."

Tommy decided to just keep his mouth shut.

"Let me just lay down the law." She continued, "Cop works for the source. Cop _listens_ to the source. The source is always right."

Tommy looked up when he heard the familiar words and saw Lindy wearing an evil smirk and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

He threw a couch pillow at her, but she dodged it.

They spent the next hour or so working on separate things until Tommy found himself back in the living room seated across from Lindy once again.

"You thought about dinner?" He asked, pulling Lindy's attention away from her laptop. "I'm really not in the mood to cook, so….."

"I'm good," she waved her hand at him indifferently.

Though they had been joking earlier, she still felt a little wary towards him and this whole "finding Sara" mission, so she wasn't ready to act buddy-buddy just yet.

"You sure?" Tommy looked skeptical.

"Positive." But at the same time, her stomach made a tremendous growl, which answered his question more than anything she actually said.

He tossed her her jacket without a word and, after huffing and grumbling for a few minutes, Lindy finally relented and hesitantly got up to join him. Tommy couldn't help but sigh at how there was a very fine line when it came to Lindy – one minute they were good, then the next, everything could be shit – he knew he needed to tread lightly. It was exhausting, but he'd rather be walking on eggshells with her around than losing contact while she runs off to god knows where. He wasn't quite sure where they stood or how it had happened, but he knew one thing for sure – he was in deep. As much as he liked having her back, it was going to be a long week if she stayed.

* * *

They stood in line at the pizzeria, one of Tommy's favorites. They offered over 25 pies with various toppings, ranging from classic plain cheese to chicken and waffles _(AN: there's actually a place sort of by me that does this, and it's amazing)_. Tommy ordered a slice of buffalo chicken pizza and the famous chicken and waffles, while Lindy got one topped with mac n cheese and another with chicken Caesar salad _(this is also a real thing and it's better than it sounds, I promise)_. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she noticed that her mouth was watering.

"How did I not know about this place?" Lindy asked in awe, not caring that she was talking with a mouth full of pizza.

She was desperately determined to keep the conversation safe and neutral. Serious topics just led to arguing which caused tension that had her stuck between wanting to break things and rip Tommy's clothes off. Neither behavior would be too farfetched at the moment, so she needed to avoid it all in general.

"Beats me, cause it's not like you can cook," he laughed.

"Hey!" She faked offense but smiled as she took another bite.

The remainder of their dinner was spent in casual conversation, as if Lindy didn't have a "missing" sister or wasn't fodder for a serial killer just a couple days earlier. It seemed to be easy for them to switch back and forth, and, to be honest, this killed Tommy. The realization that they could easily just suppress the past, move on, and fake a happy, unaffected life was right at their fingertips. But they both had too much pride, too much heart. The easiest option was hardly ever the right or most fulfilling one, if Tommy's career had taught him anything. And Lindy knew this all too well herself.

They finished up and made their way back to Tommy's. It was a little later by now, around 9:30pm. Lindy wondered where the time had gone. She had wanted a break after the Jake encounter, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd had one, so she didn't really know what to do.

"So, uh…" Tommy trailed off awkwardly, wiping his hands on his jeans uncomfortably.

Lindy shook her head from lack of comprehension.

"Are you staying here again, or…?" His sentences all turned into awkward trailed off fragments.

Whenever he asked women to stay, it was for a specific, mutually-agreed-upon reason. This was entirely different.

Lindy looked deep in thought for a bit, but in reality she knew her answer the second he asked.

"Um, I was thinking of staying here again. I mean, if that's okay," she spluttered.

"Of course, Lindy."

He crossed the kitchen and pulled out beers for both of them, then situated himself on the couch, flipping on the TV. Lindy had already settled back into her corner chair, but looked apprehensively at Tommy when he patted the other couch cushion. She eventually agreed and joined him.

"Oh come on, no sports, please," Lindy whined.

"Seriously? Last time I checked I paid the cable bill here," he laughed incredulously.

"Exactly, so use the cable," she snatched the remote from him and began flipping.

They came across Fast and Furious, where she hesitated for a second. They were both thinking the same thing – it was Ben's favorite movie – but refused to look at each other. Tommy took a long sip while Lindy simply gulped and hastily changed the channel, eventually settling on 21 Jump Street. There. That was a safe choice. Or so she thought.

It turns out that watching a hot cop in a movie is easier said than done when there's one sitting right next to you.

Feeling sufficiently sexually frustrated and slightly buzzed, Lindy knew she had to go to sleep before she said something she'd regret.

"Dibs on the couch," she laughed half-heartedly, rubbing her eyes.

Tommy just shot her a "you've gotta be kidding me" look and gave her a small push in the direction of his room. He dug through his drawers, fishing out an old tshirt and pair of boxers. When he turned around to toss them to her, he nearly crashed right into her, as she had moved dangerously close to him.

She was staring up at him intently.

"Lindy, what are you doing?" But he didn't break their gaze.

"Why are we whispering?" She had lowered her voice to match his volume.

She was making this way too easy, and Tommy felt as if his brain were about to stop functioning and his body would solely take over any minute now. He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and was moving painstakingly slow. Just when they seemed like they'd both explode, Lindy hiccupped, ruining the moment. Tommy turned away slightly, rubbing his hand down his face. He laughed slightly, but more of a tense, nervous laugh.

"Go to bed, Lindy," he chuckled, handing her his clothes and ruffling her hair.

"Goodnight, Tommy…" she said as he made his way toward the door, but there was an uncertainty that stopped him in his tracks.

Slowly turning around, he glanced at her questioningly. "What?"

She swiftly got up, skittered over to him, and planted a kiss on his cheek before he could even register what was happening.

"Alright, goodnight, Lindy," he laughed, but inside he wasn't.

Once he was safely out of the room, he took a second to lean against the door and take a deep breath that it felt like he'd been holding for centuries.

"_Jesus_," he muttered, running a hand through his hair before occupying his space on the couch.

* * *

_Lol I'm evil, SORRY. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated and I'll be back with more soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys are in luck! I was able to finish another chapter before my flight. Definitely won't be able to update until next Tuesday or Wednesday, but hopefully this helps in the meantime. Let me know what ya think!**

* * *

Lindy woke up groggier than usual. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she wandered out into the hallway. It only took one glance at Tommy asleep on the sofa to remind her of her actions the night before. Her face immediately turned a distinct shade of pink and she was intent on doing damage control. Throwing on her boots and coat and swiping Tommy's keys from the counter, she slipped out the door, careful not to disturb him.

* * *

Tommy woke up to an eerie amount of quiet and also at an unusually late hour (for him). Curiously, he checked the whole apartment only to find Boris making himself comfortable in the space Lindy had vacated. Out of habit, he immediately thought the worst – Lindy had left without a trace, again. No note, no tap on the shoulder, nothing. But his rapid pulse slowed back to normal when he saw nearly all of the possessions she'd shown up with still scattered in the corner. Sighing, he relaxed back into the couch, but it was only a few seconds before a smirk appeared on his face as he recalled what had happened last night. It was then replaced by an expression of bewilderment. The only comforting thought was that maybe this was an indicator that he wasn't the only one who had fallen down this rabbit hole like he previously thought.

Ten minutes later the door swung open, revealing Lindy juggling two coffees and a brown paper bag. She assertively placed the spare coffee out in front of him, but dropped the bag more lightly, nudging it across the table at him. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. She just nodded at the bag, which he took as his cue to open it. As he picked it up, she tried to avert her eyes to anywhere other than the scene playing out right in front of her. She felt like an embarrassed middle school girl.

Tommy carefully pulled out his intended "gift" – a blueberry crumb muffin with "SORRY" written in icing across the top.

He laughed and looked up at Lindy questioningly, and by this point her cheeks were the color of an FDNY truck.

"What's this?" He asked quizzically.

"Peace offering," she mumbled before hastily taking a sip of her coffee.

"For…?" He wasn't making this easy.

"Last night." She still couldn't look him in the eyes.

Tommy paused for a moment, pretending he couldn't remember and was deep in thought. Feigning innocence, he started, "What ever do you mean? Oh…OH…_that_."

By that point he could tell he was torturing Lindy.

"Yes, Tommy," she spat out, groaning. Huffing, she sat down in the corner chair, crossing her arms.

"Lindy, lighten up. It's fine." He couldn't lie, he was a bit confused and shaken up by the whole thing, but he was determined not to let that show.

"Really?"

He sighed. "Of course. It's been a…stressful few months. Stuff like that is bound to make people do crazy things."

"Right," Lindy laughed nervously. "_Crazy_…"

Lindy was still staring blankly at her hands, but it seemed like Tommy had already moved on.

"You want half?" He motioned toward the 'peace offering' in front of him.

"Huh? Oh, sure," she shook her head.

It wasn't that she really regretted what had happened, and it was barely anything at all, but their tension had been off the charts since she'd came back and she hated showing any type of weakness right now.

"Plans for today?" He asked, feigning casual curiosity.

"I think I'll head down to the hospital. Y'know, visit Sophia. I've missed her." She nodded.

"She misses you, too," Tommy confirmed.

"How'd you know?" Lindy asked dumbly.

"Um, she's had a specific _visitor _a few times," he chuckled.

"I KNEW IT!" Lindy exclaimed, causing Boris to jump to attention, getting up from his resting spot on the foor.

She took some time to change then emerged in the living room once again, offering Tommy a quick goodbye which he returned with a half-assed wave as his head was buried in the newspaper. Little did he know that Lindy had ulterior motives for her hospital visit.

* * *

Lindy cautiously edged her way into Catherine's room. She fidgeted uncomfortably – she didn't have Tommy around to be a buffer between the two. She mentally cursed when she saw that Catherine was awake.

"Hello Lindy," Catherine nodded.

"Hi, Sergeant," she offered a tight-lipped smile.

"Didn't know you were back in town."

"Tommy didn't tell you?" Lindy was surprised, she remembered that he'd told her about the video, so she just assumed.

"Why am I not surprised that Calligan knows?" Catherine chuckled knowingly.

Lindy chose to ignore this comment and what it was implying – firstly, it made implications about their relationship; secondly, it reminded her just how much of a headache she could be to Tommy.

"Lindy, I just want to tell you that I _am_ sorry for withholding that information, and I mean it. I'm also sorry that it turned out to be a dead end." Catherine looked at Lindy with sincerity.

"It wasn't a complete dead end, Jake gave me a tablet with information about my sister. Turns out it was staged," Lindy sighed.

Catherine's eyebrows were nearly to her hairline. "_Staged_? So you know where your sister is? But you're here in Brooklyn?"

Lindy hadn't realized she had made quite the reputation for herself.

"I just- I'm not sure what to do. I needed to take a breather first. It's unlike me, I know."

"Do you know why she did it?"

"Something about 'keeping me safe'? I'm not sure, there was nothing after that." She didn't know why she felt compelled to disclose this information to Catherine, but the words were flowing out of her whether she liked it or not.

"And you have no idea what from?"

Lindy shook her head.

"I know you're not going to like what I'm about to say, and obviously you're free to completely disregard it, but you really shouldn't go alone. Have you been doing research?"

"Not much." Lindy felt slightly ashamed at her lack of preparation. More than anything, she was tired. Everything with Jake was still so recent. Any average and reasonably _sane_ person would take a reasonable amount of time to recover from that before diving headfirst into another potentially traumatic situation. But time was never on Lindy's side, and she never quite learned how to be patient.

"Go to the CCU. Use our resources. Let us help you. Let _Tommy_ help you," Catherine advised.

Lindy felt internally conflicted. "Ah, I don't know, I mean-"

"Lindy, I found you because of your search for your sister. You're not a quitter. You used yourself as bait for a serial killer. If you're not going to give up on this – which I know you're not, and you shouldn't – at least use as many resources as you can." It felt a lot to Lindy like she was getting a speech from an elementary school teacher. "You'd be surprised to find out that the way I found Calligan isn't too unlike how I found you."

"Huh?" Lindy paid no mind to her lack of tact.

"Ask him – he'll tell you." She wore a knowing smirk that told Lindy their conversation was over.

After a minute of awkward silence, Lindy decided to go.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, sergeant," she nodded.

"It was nice to see you, Lindy," Catherine smiled.

Lindy flashed an uncertain smile in response and let herself out, taking a deep breath once she was on the other side of the door. She sure had a lot to think about, as usual.

She wandered aimlessly down the hallway and after a few turns and a short elevator ride, she ended up outside Sophia's room.

Luckily, Connor wasn't there.

"Lindy!" Sophia nearly screamed at the sight of her.

Lindy simply smiled in response – a genuine smile, reaching her eyes – and hugged her, being careful not to jostle any wires.

"You're in Brooklyn?!" Sophia's expression was still one of shock.

"I am," she nodded.

"But…why? What about Sara? George told me-" but Sophia trailed off when she saw Lindy shrugging.

"I just got a little frustrated and needed a breather," she sighed. "I think people forget I'm human sometimes."

"But you _are_ gonna go find her, right?" Sophia said, loosely grabbing Lindy's hand from where she had now sat down at the edge of the hospital bed.

Lindy laughed slightly. "Why does everyone seem so concerned?"

"Well, this is just kinda…unlike you, Linds. You've never really been one to just _wait_, especially not if Sara's involved."

"Don't worry about me, Sophia. Just worry about getting better, please." Lindy squeezed her hand back.

"Will do." Sophia smiled. "Have you decided when you're leaving?"

"I don't know. Soon, I guess. I haven't even stopped back home since I came back to Brooklyn last night. I've just been at Tommy's."

Lindy immediately regretted saying that the second she saw Sophia's raised eyebrow.

"Tommy, huh?" She smirked. "So I guess all is forgiven then?"

"No, Sophia. I just needed somewhere to go, and he was there and…I don't know, okay?" Lindy said defensively.

"Lemme guess…it's '_complicated_'?" Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Everything involving me is," Lindy sighed.

"Whatever you say, Linds. Just promise me one thing," she waited for Lindy's nod before continuing. "Promise me that when – not if, _when_ – you have a booty call with the hot cop I'll be the first to know."

"No cops. No booty calls," Lindy crossed her arms, laughing.

As if on cue, the door opened, and in walked Yeager.

"Whoa, walked in on the wrong end of _that_ conversation," Yeager shook his head. "But hey Lindy."

Lindy glanced back and forth between the two, mouth agape in a grin. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Sophia."

Sophia narrowed her eyes at Lindy momentarily, but wasn't able to keep a straight face for long.

"Don't mind her, Yeager, we were just talking about her and a certain broody detective," Sophia explained.

"Ah. Yeah, he's been worried sick about you, Lindy. He has this week off. Maybe you should stop in just to show face," he suggested.

"Trust me, she knows that already." Sophia was having far too much fun with this.

"Thank god," he let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'd hate to third wheel on this little date, so I'll be going now," Lindy smirked, now it was her chance.

"Please come see me before you leave," Lindy pleaded as the two girls hugged.

Lindy said a quick goodbye to Yeager and then was back into the hall again.

She wandered around in the afternoon sun for a while, figuring Tommy could use the momentary space away from her. She marveled at how easy it was to forget how beautiful Brooklyn could be when you were distracted by a mission to find the person who killed a man you love.

* * *

A few hours later she meandered in lazily, and was assaulted with various smells of food cooking. She called out to Tommy, but no response. Making her way over to the kitchen, she realized that he couldn't hear her over the alternative music he had playing.

"Um, hello?" Lindy called out, laughing.

"Wha- Oh! Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, turning down the music.

"Am I interrupting something? Big date?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She immediately remembered the disaster of a time when she tried to cook for Jake and he didn't even show.

"Hm, no," he laughed. "Unlike _you_, I'm not a cheap date and I actually take my dates out to places."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. When she spoke it was dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, nice, very nice."

"Sorry, low blow."

"I'll get over it. So what's the occasion?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing special, I tend to cook on my days off, or whenever I can, really. Believe it or not, last night was actually not a common occurrence for me." He shrugged.

"What's on the menu? It smells great." She hovered near his shoulder, over a sizzling pan until he shooed her away.

"Irish fajitas," he explained.

Lindy raised an eyebrow. "What makes them Irish?"

"Nothing," he laughed. "Just the fact that my Irish-blooded mother called them her specialty."

Lindy chuckled, then stopped abruptly. "Soo…"

"Yes, there's enough for two," Tommy shook his head, smirking.

"Oh thank god," she sighed in relief.

After a few more minutes, he started plating everything family-style and placing it on the table, while Lindy rummaged around for a few plates. Once he sat down, he tossed a piece of steak to Boris, who happily accepted. Lindy was absentmindedly petting the dog with her free hand when she spoke up after a few bites.

"Okay so number one, this is really good. And number two, how did Catherine find you for the CCU?"

Tommy nearly choked on the mouthful he was chewing. "Uh well first, thank you. And second, where the hell is this coming from?"

"I saw her today. I went to visit Sophia and I just figured same hospital so...why not?" She shrugged, but didn't come off as nonchalant as she wanted to.

"So basically that was your plan all along." Busted.

"Hey! I really did miss Sophia."

"Alright, fine. But why do you ask?"

"We were talking about my sister, and she told me to ask about your story." Lindy looked at him earnestly.

"You really wanna know?" He sighed.

"I do," she nodded.

"Okay. I was younger and just starting out on the force. It was right when my mom and aunt had left, like I told you," he kept pausing to make sure Lindy was following, where she responded with attentive nods. "Well, obviously when the only person you're close to in your family leaves, it's kind of tough to deal with, so like any sane person would, I looked for her. I searched day and night, whenever I didn't have training or work. Anything I could do. I thought I was close once, then the next day I got a call from an unknown number, but I knew that voice from anywhere. She said, 'my dear Tommy boy - because that's what she always called me - you know I love you more than anything. And I know you love me more than anything. But if you truly love me, you'll stop looking, it'll keep me safe.' So of course I was torn, but I stopped. I guess that was what I considered closure. And then Catherine scooped me up - said she'd been keeping track of me and wanted me on her team, and the rest is history."

"Hm, so she _did_ kind of find you the same way you guys found me," Lindy nodded in slight amazement.

"Yeah, except I was easier to find. I was already on the police force, you were on our radar because what you were doing was very illegal," he laughed quietly.

"True...so I guess we are kind of the same...in some ways," Lindy shrugged.

"Sure, except I do it legally, and you don't."

"Right. So we do the same things, except I have more fun," she smiled at him with an evil smugness that made him want to roll his eyes and kiss her senseless at the same time - he settled on the former, though not without some internal debate first.

* * *

_More plot than fluff, but I hope you guys still liked it! Next we'll be getting more back into the Sara search, plus *gasp* Lindy remembers she actually has her own apartment (don't worry, that doesn't mean the Tindy fun is over). See you all next week!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient! I've finally been able to get back into the swing of things since I got back from my trip. I hope you're all still reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

His mini-vacation had finally come to a close, and Tommy was more eager to get back to work than ever, even starting his day early and making it to the precinct by 5.

Lindy had spent the last two nights back at her own apartment, and Tommy had to fight the urge to set up shop outside her door like he used to. But he had no reason. He was almost scared – scared that Lindy would move back home and realize that she was fine without him. Maybe even more than fine. But his fears were soothed for a bit when he saw Lindy hesitate slightly – glancing back at him with a tiny bit of reservation before finally deciding to settle back into her place.

Sure, he'd gotten scarily used to her staying at his apartment, but he couldn't deny that he could breathe a little easier now that the thick-as-molasses sexual tension had left the room.

After finishing some menial prep work and realizing nothing further could be done before other people came in, he went to his usual hiding spot. He liked to sneak away to the interrogation rooms if he ever needed a break without really _getting_ a break (there was no such thing as a break in this job, he had learned quickly enough, even when you had a week off). He sat in the chair, casually bouncing a small ball against the wall and catching it deftly. He gained a rhythm and continued almost absentmindedly.

A few minutes later, the chair across from him was filled by none other than Ben. Tommy often saw Ben after he died. At first it weirded him out, but now he found comfort in it. He hadn't talked to him in a while, though, due to the craziness that had been going on lately. Downtime was a luxury, as was clear mental space.

"What's up, killer?" Ben greeted, with a big grin on his face.

"Too soon, man," Tommy replied, but couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, gotta entertain myself somehow. Though I must say, the soap opera of your life has been fairly sufficient as of late," Ben said.

"I'm sure," Tommy sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair.

"You screwed up, man. Big time," Ben nodded. "Can't say I didn't see it coming, though. You've got it bad."

"I know," Tommy ducked his head, looking down at the table.

"But you just have to grow a pair, Tom," Ben started, and Tommy was slightly surprised by the change in this conversation – he was expecting more scolding for hurting Lindy.

Tommy just stared as if he didn't quite understand.

"Look, I know Lindy, alright. She's stubborn as hell," Ben continued, to which Tommy nodded in agreement a little too enthusiastically. "But it's also evidently clear to me just how much you care about her."

"I do, man, but I just..I lied to her. Plus there's the whole, y'know…'you' situation," Tommy said, gesturing across the table at Ben.

"Not gonna lie, you could've at least waited until some grass grew over my grave," Ben said, and Tommy grew white in the face, but Ben was smiling. "Dude, I'm joking…to be honest, when you cooked up this plan, I thought you were kind of a dick. But you're still my best friend. If Lindy's gonna be with anybody else, I'd want it to be you."

"Seriously?" Tommy asked, in genuine disbelief.

"Yes. Tommy, I know you like to play this tough, jaded act, but I can see that you really care about Lindy, and you'd obviously do anything to protect her. Plus, I still remember that time you cried when we were 8."

Tommy was silent because he knew Ben was right.

"Well, there's the tiny fact that she hates me now," Tommy countered.

"Eh I wouldn't be so sure, and regardless, you deserve it, asshole," Ben said. "In the meantime, prove it. I've seen how hard you're working on Sara's case…and that dick who practically decapitated me. She'll come around."

Ben was rubbing his neck thoughtfully, then the two men burst into laughter (Tommy more hesitantly).

"I guess you're right," Tommy sighed.

"Hey, to put it in your own words…so much for staying neutral, huh?" Ben laughed.

Tommy laughed in spite of himself, "To be honest, Ben. I could've been in your shoes too easily if I had gotten there first."

"I've never had a guy thank me for cock-blocking but, hey, first time for everything," Ben shrugged.

Just then, Lindy opened the door and slowly walked in. Tommy didn't know what time it was or how long he had been there, talking to Ben. His eyes grew wide. He knew they'd agreed that she'd come in, but he was still surprised that she actually followed through.

She hesitantly dropped her bag and slid into the chair across from him, which ghost-Ben had just vacated.

"You okay? You looked like you were talking to yourself out there." She eyed him apprehensively, chuckling nervously. It had been a few days since they'd seen each other – since she'd finally gone back to her own place.

Ghost-Ben stepped out from the corner he had been staying in and stood behind Lindy, air-humping her and making the jerk off motion above her head, all while laughing like a 12-year-old boy. Tommy was happy to see his friend (and clearly some things never change, boys will be boys), and struggled to stifle his laughter. He gave a _"come on, dude"_ look to Ben, and with that, he waved and disappeared into thin air.

"Um…hello?" Lindy scoffed.

"What? Sorry…Wait, you were _watching me_?" Tommy asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"I saw you for a second," She answered defensively. "And you really have no room to talk about others watching people."

He considered her words carefully – it felt like a low blow after all the time they had spent together over the past week, including the fact that he'd been the first one Lindy came to. But he realized the painful truth that she still had the upper hand. In everything. This search and his emotions and god knows what else.

"So, what now…" She trailed off, suddenly feeling out of place.

"Honestly I'm pretty surprised you're here," Tommy shook his head incredulously.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Me too."

"So you're not gonna bolt?" He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, not in an angry or accusatory way, but more like he was trying to gauge how much of an eye he had to keep on her.

"Not gonna bolt," she confirmed with a slight nod.

"Come on." He made his way to the door first, motioning for her to follow, which she eventually did.

They were halfway towards his usual workspace when Lindy called his name quietly.

"What's up?" He turned sharply, placing his hands on his hips.

"Sometimes I talk to him, too," she said softly, with the trace of an understanding smile playing on her lips as she made sure to maintain eye contact.

Their moment was only interrupted by Yeager rushing into the precinct, apologizing for being late.

* * *

_Hope you liked it! Once again, this chapter was more of a bridge to set the scene, jucier stuff is coming soon I promise. Feel free to review!_


	6. Author's Note (please read!)

Author's Note here! Sorry if I tricked ya! I just wanted to give a heads up that I have NOT abandoned this fic, not at all, I just had a scare last week where my laptop wouldn't turn on even when it was plugged into the charger so it wasn't working for a few days and I'd lost the new chapter I was working on (plus my homework, but I was less concerned, lol). So I wasn't really able to write, but since my computer started miraculously working again today (it's a birthday miracle!), I should have a new chapter up in a few days!

Side note- I'm low key _extremely_ devastated that Eye Candy wasn't renewed :( it honestly makes me so sad, especially considering how it ended. Which is why I especially want to continue this story now, and hopefully everyone else who's been writing feels the same, because there's some serious talent on here!

Be back with some new stuff soon! Thanks for all your positive words, you're really what keeps me going!


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